← Elaine Ingham · Research and publications
Phosphatases: what do they tell us about fungal activity?
Ingham and Klein compare different indicators of fungal activity.
Study published:
The study’s question
How closely does phosphatase activity reflect fungal activity? The experiment examined liquid cultures of Penicillium citrinum at different growth rates. [1]
The main finding
Acid phosphatase consistently tracked other activity indicators only at low growth rates. At higher rates, enzyme activity remained relatively constant. The culture’s physiological state therefore affected the interpretation of the measurement. [1]
An educational question for our Center
When organising our observations, we want to distinguish an organism’s presence, its quantity and the function being examined. Each image or laboratory result should accompany a clear question, method and sampling conditions. This is our own educational connection with the study.
Presentation context
The experiment concerns a particular fungus in laboratory culture. This presentation draws on the published abstract and links to the original study.
Sources and references
- Ingham, E. R. & Klein, D. A. (1984). Plant and Soil, 81, 61–68. DOI: 10.1007/BF02206894 Original publication and study record